A New Day A New Tragedy
by beta111
Summary: In the days after the Second Summer of Love it was soon discovered that although the half the scub coral had gone to another universe, the Coralians were still a danger and occasionally appearing around the world. Even though the military, and the world itself, banded against Dewey and his plans everything soon went back to to the way it was. Now the world is in danger again.
1. Chapter 1

In the days after the Second Summer of Love it was soon discovered that although the half the scub coral had gone to another universe, the Coralians were still a danger and occasionally appearing around the world.

Even though the military, and the world itself, banded against Dewey and his plans everything soon went back to the way it was.

Once more pile bunkers were being driven into the ground and every one gave the military their full support against the Coralians out of fear.

Despite all the trials and tribulations that Renton and Eureka had gone through soon the world simply forgot it all and shifted back to the way it was.

Those in the military who'd struck against Dewey were celebrated as heroes while those who did not strike against him were still seen as courageous.

In the midst of all the celebrations a parade was being held within the center of one of the smaller cities.

The main attraction was the two teenage pilots who'd fought so courageously against Dewey.

Among the crowd of star eyed citizens was a boy just exiting his teenage years and on the crossroads of life.

As the brown haired boy stared upon the line of soldiers marching down the crowded streets with his hazel eyes he couldn't help but gape in awe.

His two friends pulled him out of his stupor by punching his shoulder and looking at him expectantly.

"Right Shiro?" His blonde haired blue eyed friend to his right asked with a grin.

Shiro Hatsumora blinked as he glanced at him then to his left at his black haired friend who he'd known since he was a child.

"I…I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?" Shiro asked as he gave an empty chuckle.

"As always! I was just saying they look pretty cool!" His blonde haired friend, Danny answered.

Shiro heard a groan come from his black haired friend John, or Starbuddy as he now liked to be called.

"Of course they look 'cool', that's how they get new recruits. Such as suckers like you Danny." Starbuddy replied with a shrug.

Danny groaned in defeat as Shiro chuckled lightly.

Starbuddy decided on his new name after he'd started reading that propaganda magazine Ray=out.

Although it was a while ago now Shiro remembered when the planet was nearly destroyed and every one decided to side with the traitors of Gekkostate.

Shiro's mother however remained strongly aligned with the military always telling him, 'one rotten egg doesn't mean the whole farm is rotten'.

Ever since then he'd learned it was best not to voice which way you stand on the topic.

Suddenly Shiro's thoughts were interrupted by three people who climbed atop the stage in the middle of the street.

Among them was Captain Jurgens, who was now an Admiral, and was the leading military ship against Dewey.

The other two however Shiro had only ever seen once in the background of a newspaper article back before the near end of the world.

One was a young woman with long pink hair and sore a skin tight black suit.

Her eyes were what caught his gaze the most however.

She had the brightest purple eyes he'd ever seen.

Beside her was a boy who appeared to be the same age wearing the same suit with similar eyes.

She smiled and waved to the crowd, the boy however, didn't seem to want to be there at all.

Then Shiro saw how the boy looked at her.

The pure emotion it radiated caused Shiro's chest to hurt.

It caused him to yearn that feeling that he felt.

"W…Who are those two?" Shiro managed to ask as he motioned to the stage.

Danny cracked a sly smile as he looked at them.

"Ah the two youngest military pilots in history, Haru and Anemone." As Danny explained it to him Shiro's eyes went wide.

Now he remembered hearing bits and pieces about them.

During all that happened the military tried to keep them confidential but pieces still leaked out.

As Shiro looked upon the two and looked out amongst the lines of soldiers still marching through the streets his chest suddenly tightened as his heart began to race.

As he began to breathe heavily he could feel it.

He could feel that he _knew_ what he wanted to do with his life.

He wanted to be the one up on that stage.

He wanted to be a soldier.

**. . . .**

When he'd told his mother he was going to enlist she cried hysterically all through the day begging and pleading him not to.

When he told his two friends they also cried, not as much as his mother but cried none the less, and also told him not to.

When he went to the recruiter and told him the recruiter was the first one who smiled.

"Ah so you want to be a soldier?" The large muscular man sat rigidly in his chair and smiled as he rhythmically tapped his pen on the desk.

"Yes sir. The minute I considered the thought my heart was steeled to the decision." Shiro replied firmly as his hands squeezed the arm rests of his chair.

The recruiter thought a moment, tapping his pen, before finally smiling.

"Well Shiro…I believe you're meant for this. Before we send you off to Basic we will of course have a few tests, mental and physical, also we'll just go through a few questions and paper work." When the recruiter finished talking he stared Shiro in the eye as he leaned forward, the tapping of his pen ceased.

"So Shiro, are you certain this is what you want?" He asked.

Shiro didn't even need to think on it. He firmly nodded, drawing a smile from the recruiter.

**. . . . **

After two months of what Shiro could only ever call hell he stood within the freezing rain with a rifle locked firmly within his hands held vertically in front of him.

Though everyone there in line with him shivered and was completely numb not a single person so much as flinched or voiced a complaint.

They all new better.

They were all nearly soldiers.

Even though Shiro's body shook his hands remained locked to the rifle which was now his life.

His grey sweat pants and sweat shirt, which were his training clothes as with every other recruit, were soaked and heavy.

As the drill sergeant screamed they all cried back in response with a heartfelt, "Hoorah!"

After standing three hours in place through drill they were released back to the mess hall then to their barracks.

Shiro laid flat on his back as he stared at the ceiling knowing in a matter of seconds he would be asleep.

Suddenly they all jumped up and stood in line at attention the moment they heard the drill sergeant stand at the entrance and draw breath.

"ATTENNNNNSHUN WORMS!" His booming cry made the walls shiver as they all stood stiffly upright with their hands flat at their sides.

He stood in place a moment, reveling in his control over so many before drawing another breath.

"LISTEN AND LISTEN WELL WORMS. THERE WILL BE A DEMONSTRATION LEAD BY ONE OF THE TOP BRASS SO BE-FUCKING-HAVE YOURSELVES! AM I KNOWN?!" He screamed.

"HOORAH!" They all cried and pivoted on their heels, following in two lines on both sides of the drill sergeant out to the courtyard where they had Drill.

Once there they all got into their Drill lines and stood at attention.

Suddenly a door creaked open and out stepped a man with long white hair braided into the official ponytail. And wore a black uniform that was filled to burst with metals.

He stood before the open doorway a moment, looking over them.

"My name, is Lieutenant-General Richard Prichley. I command the military in place of the late traitor Dewey Novak. I am here today on one of my many stops on tour. I'm here to inform you all that the Vodarac have made a strike against us and as such we are now on high alert!" There were two whispers then silence amongst them all, their discipline taking hold of them.

Suddenly Shiro saw a girl who appeared his age walk through the door and stand beside him.

She stared out at them with her bright purple eyes which were wide and unblinking.

Her purple hair was tied up into the military bun and she wore the black uniform with a black skirt which fell to the top of her knees.

Her boots went up to just below her knees and protected her from the puddles that littered the floor from the rainfall which had only recently ceased.

Slowly she scanned the crowd, seeming to examine everyone's faces.

The moment her eyes fell upon Shiro his entire body tensed up as his heart sped.

He glanced away and looked over at the wall.

When his eyes returned to her her eyes had not moved.

She stared straight at him.

His body suddenly began to heat up, it felt as though there was a spotlight shining straight on him boiling him alive.

In a split second Lieutenant-General Richard glanced down at her, traced her eyes to Shiro, then returned his gaze on the crowd.

To Shiro, however, it was a life time.

He was trained to notice it.

But he couldn't figure out what it was though.

"Thank you all for your time." In a flash the Lieutenant-General turned and whispered something to the drill sergeant before walking off.

The girl continued to stare a moment before following him out of the courtyard.

They were all herded back into the barracks but as Shiro went to follow the drill sergeant placed a massive hand over Shiro's chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"Private Hatsumora, follow me." The drill sergeant ordered.

Shiro snapped a crisp salute as he replied with a loud, "Yes sir!"

**. . . .**

The drill sergeant led Shiro towards his office.

The moment he opened the door Shiro froze before jumping to attention.

The Lieutenant-General smiled and gave a lazy salute and replying with, "At ease."

Shiro hesitantly nodded and spread his legs shoulder width apart and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Come in now come in, have a seat." Lieutenant-General Richard waved as he walked around the drill sergeant's desk and had a seat.

As Shiro walked inside and had a seat the Lieutenant-General motioned for the drill sergeant to leave.

The moment the door closed Shiro quickly glanced around the office, she wasn't there.

"Now…Shiro Hatsumora? Quite the promising career you've started here." The Lieutenant-General commented as he flipped through Shiro's file.

"Thank you sir." Shiro replied with a grateful nod.

"Why are you here Shiro? Why the military?" The Lieutenant-General asked as he threw the file down on the desk and leaned back in the chair with his hands clasped before him.

"It's what I'm meant to do sir. I also…I also want to help people." The Lieutenant-General's eyes flashed as he leaned forward.

"Help people? And how will you do that Shiro? How does having a gun help people?" The question felt like a punch to the gut.

Shiro glanced down before answering, "I…I don't know sir. But I _do _want to help people."

The Lieutenant-General smiled as he asked, "I can put you on the path to help many many people Shiro. A new ship has just been created, first of its kind, I've been building up a crew for it and I want _you_ on it. I actually have a special position all picked out for you. Interested?" The Lieutenant-General asked with a smile.

Shiro couldn't breathe.

A special position on a new ship?

How could he say no?

"S…Sir yes sir!" He yelled as he jumped up and snapped a stiff salute.

The Lieutenant-General chuckled as he nodded.

"Very well Shiro. I'll show you to your assignment then. Follow me."

**. . . .**

"_This _is your mission." The Lieutenant-General announced to Shiro as he opened the door to the empty reception center for the camp.

Shiro stood din place with a frown.

_Was this a joke? Is he messing with me?!_

Before Shiro could open his mouth the girl from earlier stepped out from around the corner.

She glanced at the Lieutenant-General but stared at Shiro unblinkingly.

"Her name is Yuki. She's a very valuable asset to us all. I need you to protect her, 24/7. She's one of the brightest I've ever seen." The Lieutenant-General explained.

Shiro's heart pounded as he glanced from the floor to Yuki.

"S…Sir I'm not sure I'm the best man for the job I'm sure one of the veter-" He was cut off by the Lieutenant-General.

"No Shiro it was not me who chose you but her." He motioned to her with a grin, "She won't choose anyone else but you. She thinks you're the one. Is she wrong?"

Shiro suddenly straightened as he shook his head.

"N…No sir! I will protect her until my dying breath sir!" As Shiro announced it the Lieutenant-General's grin widened.

"That's a bold statement." He said with a chuckle.

"No sir! It's a promise. And I don't go back on my promises sir!" As he said it out of the corner of his eye he saw the smallest hint of a twitch in the corner of Yuki's eye.

The Lieutenant-General also glanced at it and smiled.

"I am glad to see she's picked right. Well then Shiro, gather your items and your new captain will meet you here in one hour ten minutes." As the Lieutenant-General turned to leave Shiro cleared his throat, halting him.

"Sir I haven't graduated from basic yet sir!" He stopped for a moment before turning back around.

"With that promise you have. Now then Yuki, wait here for the captain then you'll be under his orders." The Lieutenant-General ordered.

She gave a single stiff nod before walking over to the chairs which lined the wall and having a seat.

Just like that the Lieutenant-General was off and Shiro was there alone with Yuki.

"U…Um are you going to be alright here? Do you need a book or anything?" Shiro quietly asked causing Yuki's eyes to snap to his.

Once again his body was on fire and he had to glance away.

"A book? Why?" Her voice was as soft as an angel's

"To…To read?" Shiro replied equally as confused.

She frowned as she looked down.

"I do not need to read right now." As she answered Shiro frowned as he thought on it, unable to understand what she meant.

"W…Well I'll be back shortly then." He resigned as she gave a single nod.


	2. Chapter 2: Daedalus

As Shiro gathered his few personal effects from his bunk the entire barracks had crowded around him, giving him their goodbyes.

With each goodbye he felt his soul shred more and more.

These were the people he had been through hell and back with, the ones he sat with as they all huddled within the barracks shivering and wet from the freezing rain.

The ones that kicked each other in the ass when one of them started to slack.

His brothers and sisters.

With the final goodbye spoken, Shiro stood at the doorway and did just that, stood there.

He was unable to take that step.

He glanced out the window at the sun and knew it was almost time for his new CO to arrive and pick him and Yuki up.

With a huge breath he slowly twisted the doorknob and walked out the door.

**. . . .**

As Shiro walked stiffly through the halls with his rucksack slung over his shoulder he couldn't help but reminisce upon all his time spent here.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he barely saw a flash of the three bars which showed someone to be a Sergeant.

Thoughtlessly he snapped to attention with a firm salute as he stared straight ahead.

"Good afternoon sir!" He yelled, holding the salute.

As he stood there he noticed it was his Drill Sergeant.

After his DS gave him a nod Shiro went at ease, spreading his legs shoulder width apart and clasping his hands behind his back.

"Afternoon Hatsumora, I was hoping to catch you before you left." His DS replied as he held out his hand to Shiro

Shiro hesitated for a split second simply out of sheer shock before he reached out and firmly grabbed his DS' hand and shook it.

"I just wanted to say congratulations Hatsumora. Before you're transferred out of here I'm still your Commanding Officer and as such I've filed for you to receive a promotion. Congratulations you are no longer a recruit you are now Private Hatsumora. A proud active member of the greatest Army in this universe. Stand proud soldier and remember your training." As DS spoke he handed him a single gold bar patch for his uniform and snapped a crisp salute.

As Shiro grabbed the patch he jumped to attention and gave the stiffest salute possible.

"Thank you Drill Sergeant!" He yelled, earning a smile from his DS.

As the two finished the salute his DS cleared his throat a moment before looking around ten back to him.

"Listen Private, I know your post is confidential so that means you're gonna see some shit that you won't know how to handle. Taking down a hostile ain't like shooting a paper target. When you're lying in your bunk curled into a ball sobbing because the world's collapsed around you and you're a step away from swallowing your rifle remember this, it's _kill _or you will _be killed_. There is no safety in the world and there is no rest. Even as you're in your bunk under the covers there will be no rest. At any moment you can be dispatched. So remember Private, you kill them…or you die. There is no grey area here." His DS took a moment after delivering his advice and gave a small nod to Shiro.

"Now go report to your new CO Private." Without waiting for a reply Shiro's DS turned and walked off the other way.

Leaving Shiro alone in the hall clutching the patch like it was his only anchor to this frightening new world.

**. . . .**

When Shiro walked into the waiting room he saw Yuki was sitting in place staring straight ahead at the wall with headphones over her head.

As he walked across the room and leaned against the wall she made no sign of noticing him.

_I wonder what she's listening to._ He thought to himself as he stared out the glass doors into the open world he hadn't seen in two months.

A world without any Drill or target practice.

His thoughts were interrupted by a black car pulling up to the door.

In a snap he straightened and looked over to Yuki, ready to tell her the CO was here.

Before he had a chance, however, he saw she was already standing up with her headphones around her neck and facing the door.

A medium sized man stepped out of the car and headed towards the doors.

He had a shaved head and a black trimmed beard covering his mouth and chin.

He wore the black uniform with a black beret on his head and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and tan pants with black shined dress shoes.

Upon his collar was two sets of two bars that showed him to be a Captain.

The moment the Captain grabbed the handle of the front door the muscles on his arm suddenly bulged revealing that though he looked to be of medium height he was huge underneath his uniform.

As he stepped inside Shiro jumped to attention and saluted.

"Good afternoon sir!" He barked as Yuki stood in place and stared at the Captain.

The Captain looked to him and returned the salute and looked to Yuki.

"My name is Captain Reynolds. Anything else will have to wait until we're in the car. Anything and everything we can discuss is confidential." He announced with his hands clasped behind him.

His voice was deep and growly but not mean, more experienced.

The two nodded and followed him out to the car.

Shiro threw his rucksack into the trunk before holding the back right side door open, nodding to Yuki.

She stood in place a moment, the same tiny corner of her eye twitched before giving a small nod and crawling inside.

Shiro closed the door and went around, crawling inside the other side of the car.

Once they were strapped in the car took off, driven by one of the base personnel.

Captain Reynolds turned in his seat and faced the two of them.

"You," He looked over to Yuki "must be Yuki, correct?"

She gave him a stiff small nod.

"Pleasure to meet you," He replied with his own nod before turning to Shiro "and you're Private Shiro Hatsumora then?"

"Yes sir." Shiro replied nodding.

"Pleasure to meet you. Now we're currently on route to your new posting, the Daedalus. Our driver is a member of the base has been handpicked by the Lieutenant-General and sworn to secrecy on all information I'm about to disclose. If it is revealed his has disclosed any piece of information at all no matter who insignificant from your names to your ranking then he will be hunted down and executed." Captain Reynolds explained to them.

Shiro looked at the driver but he'd not reacted at all, instead he simply continued to drive.

"The Daedalus is a super powered prototype Dreadnought loaded with the most firepower of any ship the Federation has created. It's been equipped with the strongest reactor ever manufactured to carry around all that weight and also uses thrusters as just Trapar Waves aren't enough to carry it. Due to the massive size of the ship it's rather difficult to find any appropriate landing fields as such the reactor provides a limitless supply of power, also a prototype. The entire crew has been handpicked by the Lieutenant-General and I, including the LFO's aboard the Daedalus. It's my understanding you've been handpicked by Yuki to come along is that correct Private Hatsumora?" Captain Reynolds asked looking to Shiro.

Shiro opened his mouth to speak but his words were caught in his throat at the thought of Yuki traveling the continent just to find him.

"Y…Yes sir." He managed to force it.

Captain Reynolds was silent a moment, staring at him before he nodded.

"And it is also my understanding that your post is to personally guard her 24/7?" Captain Reynolds continued to ask.

"Yes sir." Shiro replied once more.

Yuki simply stared straight ahead, apparently having no interest in the conversation.

"Then as such you'll share Yuki's room, instead of bunking with the other soldiers, if that's alright with Yuki?" Captain Reynolds looked to Yuki who looked to him then Shiro.

"Yes, sir." She replied before staring out the window, gone again.

"There we go. Our current assignment, once we get to the Daedalus, is to get Yuki's LFO. Understood?" He asked as his voice got louder.

"Yes sir!" Shiro loudly replied as he saluted.

**. . . .**

The car pulled into the land based airfield which was barren except for one hanger which was larger than any building Shiro'd ever even seen.

The car pulled over in front of the massive doors and they all got out.

Once Shiro pulled out his rucksack and closed the trunk the car took off back to base.

Captain Reynolds went up to the door and pounded on it with his fist before stepping back.

All was silent a moment before there was an earth shaking groaning as the doors lowly began to slide separate and grind apart revealing the darkness inside the hanger.

Suddenly the lights inside began hissing to life as row by row they began to light up the hanger.

Shiro's stomach dropped as his mouth fell open.

The Daedalus was it least triple the size of a normal military warship, Shiro could only imagine how many more weapons it had.

The ship was so large that the entire bottom of it was covered with landing gear and it had multiple loading ramps for soldiers and gear.

As the doors finally opened fully the sun filled the hanger, shining brightly on the dark burgundy colored hull causing it to sparkle.

Captain Reynolds stood before the Daedalus with a wide grin and his arms crossed.

The way his eyes sparkled Shiro couldn't help but allow a small smile to escape.

Out of the corner of his eye Shiro saw Yuki staring at his face, she looked angry or…confused?

Before he could even think about it Captain Reynolds nodded and announced, "Alright you two let's get on board and get the hell out of here. We've got shit to do."

"Yes sir!" Shiro yelled before stepping aside and motioning for Yuki to go first.

Once again she had that same look of anger or confusion.

After a moment she nodded and followed the Captain, followed by Shiro.

As they climbed up the ramp Shiro immediately felt the air was cooler and tasted…artificial.

The two hadn't made any reaction to it so Shiro simply decided to ignore it.

As they walked through the grey steel hallways Shiro noticed he didn't see anybody walking around.

If there was as many as they'd said there was then they'd be out and about wouldn't they?

"They're all in the mess hall. While we're on the ground there's no rotation except for vital crewman." Captain Reynolds suddenly announced looking back at Shiro.

As Shiro blinked in surprise looking at him Captain Reynolds explained, "You were looking around wondering right? That's where they are."

"Y…Yes sir thank you sir." Shiro replied giving a nod.

He suddenly felt the exhaustion hit him from all of today's events on top of Drill.

**. . . .**

After walking what could have easily been a mile the trio stood before a door.

Captain Reynolds turned and faced the other two.

"This will be both of your quarters. From this very second onwards you will not go another place without the other in tow. You will not separate to eat, sleep, or shit am I known?" Shiro straightened and went to attention as he gave a nod and replied, "Yes sir!"

He looked to Yuki who nodded and replied, "Yes sir."

Captain Reynolds, seemingly satisfied, turned and began to walk off.

"Excellent get some rest and report to the bridge once you're awake."

Yuki wordlessly opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Shiro.

The room was a little larger than the regular soldier's bunk room but where there would normally be four to six beds there was only two.

One at thigh level off the ground on the left wall and then one above that at eye level with a ladder on the end of it.

The rest of the room was barren except for a light in the ceiling and a window straight ahead from the doorway.

The only other thing in the room was a door at the far right corner that led to the bathroom the two of them shared.

"Wow, our very own bathroom. That's how you know you're special." Shiro observed with a chuckle as he stood there holding his ruck sack.

The room was filled in silence as they both stood there.

After a minute of silence Shiro flushed with embarrassment at his lame joke.

Yuki wordlessly walked over and sat down on the edge of the bottom bunk and looked at Shiro.

"Do other soldiers not use bathrooms?" She asked catching Shiro so off guard he was speechless for a moment.

"A…Ah no I just mean that soldiers normally share a bathroom amongst the whole platoon." She still stared at him, not understanding.

"W…Whereas we have our very own." He explained further.

She took another moment before nodding.

"I see. I understand." She replied.

Shiro's body was on fire, ripe with embarrassment from how poorly he was doing with this and it had only been a few hours.

With a silent sigh he threw his ruck sack onto the top bunk and unzipped it, reaching in for his new uniform he was given.

As he pulled it out he also grabbed his gold bar and the needle and standard issue thread given for sewing rank to your uniform.

"What are you going to do?" Yuki asked from below, her eyes locked on the needle.

"I'm just gonna sew my gold bar onto my uniform." He answered as he carefully fed the thread through the needle on the fifth attempt.

"Why?" She asked finally breaking free of the needle and looking at Shiro.

He frowned slightly as he looked down to her.

He only now noticed she had no bars on her uniform.

"What kind of training do you have exactly?" He asked as he set down his uniform, carefully setting the needle on top of it.

"Confidential training." Was her only response.

Shiro stood there a moment, unsure of how to even proceed.

"You said you were going to sew it?" She asked suddenly.

"Oh yeah I was, have you ever sewed before?" He asked as he picked up the uniform and needle once more.

She shook her head and sat expectantly.

"I can show you, is it okay if I sit down next to you? It's hard to do it while standing." He explained with a light chuckle.

She scooted to her right and made room for him.

As he sat down he slowly began to show her how to start and give her a few pointers on what to do and not do.

As he explained it she stared intently at his hands, the way he carefully weaved it through the gold bar then the uniform then the bar and back again.

Then without realizing it she looked up at him and saw the concentration on his face as he worked.

The determination.

And she couldn't help but smile.

It felt so strange…something she'd never experienced before.

But it felt good, it felt better than any expression she'd made before.

All she wanted to do was sit here and smile all day.

She'd never done anything like this before or felt this way, the only thing comparable was when she first laid eyes on Shiro.

As Shiro finished the last section he tied it off and cut the thread, then looked over at Yuki.

"And that's all there is to-" His words were gone as he was frozen in time and space.

She sat there looking at him with a wide smile.

A smile!

In that exact moment Shiro knew what he would devote his life to.

He would dedicate himself to making her smile again.

He didn't care if it took his whole life the only thing he wanted and the only thing he would remember for the rest of his life, was her smile.

Though he would never forget this moment, right now, he could never fully convey it to anyone.

That's why he knew this would be his memory.

Their memory.

And no one else's.

Shiro cleared his throat as he stood up.

"I…I'll go ahead and get changed now." He announced as he began walking to the bathroom.

"My training…" Her quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.

"My training was to fight. They never taught me much except that. But I can't really say much else…" She trailed off as she looked down at the floor.

"Then…Then I'll teach you." He managed to say as he turned to look at her.

She looked up with that look he now knew was confusion.

"If you ever are uncertain about something just ask me and I'll teach you…or try." He said with a light chuckle.

She was silent for a long while, so long he feared she'd reject the offer, before finally nodding.

"Yes…thank you Shiro. Thank you very much." As she spoke with a softness he' never heard his heart skipped a beat he nodded and quickly went into the bathroom before his knees gave way.

The moment he'd gotten undressed from his sweats from Basic his eyes went wide when he glanced at himself in the mirror.

He'd never noticed in basic because there was no time but over the course of two month there was no longer any squishy part of him.

He was now only muscle.

He was so much bigger now that he didn't even recognize himself, nor his lean sharp face.

Taking a deep breath he ran his hand across the stubbles on his face and looked down at the counter.

They'd even given them razors and shaving cream.

After covering his face with cream and shaving he stripped down, showered, and got dressed in his black uniform with black pants and black combat boots.

After admiring how slim it fit him and how comfy it was he reached into one of the pockets and found a pair of the white standard issue gloves as well.

Then in the other was the standard black beret.

Once he slipped them on he truly felt like a soldier.

When he walked back into the room, still admiring how good he felt, He looked to Yuki's bunk and saw she laid there with her eyes closed and headphones on.

_Must be trying to get some sleep. _He thought to himself with a smile. Though he wanted to parade around in his new clothes he took off his gloves, beret, and boots.

After setting the boots to the end of his bunk and putting his gloves and beret back into the pockets of his jacket he took it off and hung it from the end of his bunk.

Now wearing nothing but his white undershirt he climbed up into his bunk and laid there, resting his head on his hands, and stared at the ceiling.

And there he laid, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the now stuffy air.

_This is home. _He thought to himself and continued to repeat it until he believed it.

After hundreds of repeats he simply gave up.

Suddenly there was a _ping _as the loud speaker was activated.

"_Attention crew this is Captain Reynolds of the Daedalus. This isn't just any ship this is your new home. ALL of you. We'll be taking off shortly so brace yourselves for liftoff and await further orders. All those currently off duty report to your stations. Brace for liftoff."_ Captain Reynolds announced to the whole ship shortly before Shiro felt the ship slowly start to vibrate.

Suddenly his heart began to pound as he realized he'd never been off the ground before.

There was a quiet whirring that slowly began to increase in volume as the ship began to vibrate more and more intensely.

Suddenly the whirring became deafening as the ship jumped forward at a speed so fast Shiro was launched from his bunk and slammed into the wall across the room.

They were ascending so fast Shiro was glued up to the wall lying flat against it, unable to so much as blink.

Then just like that they evened out and Shiro fell face first onto the floor.

He groaned quietly as he laid there.

"Shiro? What are you doing down there?" Yuki asked as she sat upright, putting her headphones around her neck.

"Oh you know, enjoying the sights." He groaned as he stared at the floor.

Focusing only on not throwing up all over.

Especially not in front of her.

She was silent for a long moment, obviously confused, before nodding and laying back down and returning her headphones to her ears.

Before Shiro even realized it he fell asleep right there.

The last time he'd fallen asleep on the floor was the first week of basic after their 72 hour drill when they were allowed to fall asleep for the first time.

The only thing within Shiro's dreams, was Yuki's smile.


	3. Chapter 3: The Hound Cometh

Shiro groggily opened his eyes as a groan slipped from his lips.

As he sat upright he saw Yuki seated upright on the bed with her headphones on, staring straight ahead.

The moment she saw him moving she shook from her trance and laid the headphones across her neck.

"Is it time for breakfast?" She queried as Shiro slowly arose and stretched out his limbs.

"Well for me at least," He chuckled, "did you not sleep?" He then asked seeing her still in the uniform looking bed.

She shook her head in answer before standing.

"Let us 'chow down'" She stated in a monotone voice and gave a small nod.

Looking at her in confusion earned him no answer however, only causing her to walk out the door and lead on.h

**. . . .**

After fumbling through the vast maze that is the Daedalus the two found themselves within the mess hall.

The room itself was the size of Shiro's barracks in basic and was filled with soldiers dressed in the same uniforms as Shiro.

As the two sat in the long line reaching toward the food line he continued to scan the room, the faces, the feeling.

Despite the hundreds of men and women filling the vast space not a single voice filled it, no laughter nor conversation. The only sound was that of forks scraping the trays.

Each soldier's face was deeply laden with trenches, every soldier staring blankly as they fed themselves.

The air itself was heavy with an emotion Shiro couldn't even find the comparison for.

Before he knew it the two were up front filling their trays.

The choices were chicken with corn and broccoli, with a drink choice of water.

As he walked behind Yuki looking down at his tray he realized the food choice was that of a platoon in the field during war time.

"Where shall we seat?" Yuki's query snapped Shiro from his train of thought as he looked over to her.

"I'm sorry?" He asked with a confused frown.

"There are few seats, where is ours?" She attempted to clarify causing him even more confusion.

"Where is ours? I don't...oh! Where shall we _sit_?" She looked down with a frown obviously not understanding the difference.

"Uh well there's not really..." He trailed off as he scanned the crowd.

Suddenly he froze as he locked eyes with a soldier across the room.

The only soldier in the room not staring a thousand yards into their table.

Before him was an empty bench.

"I think I found a spot." Before she could so much as look over he was already moving swiftly toward the soldier.

The closer he got to the soldier the bigger the man seemed to grow.

Up until he stood before the soldier and saw how truly large the soldier was.

Even sitting he was larger than Shiro, standing Shiro guessed the man must be twice his height.

That was just his height the man's sheer muscles could make a second human being.

He was bulky until the point where it seemed he would have trouble putting his hands on top of his head.

His face was covered in scars and his eyes were a color so dark Shiro couldn't tell where his pupils started and his iris' ended.

The most prominent feature on his face, however, was three large gashes running diagonally down his face from what looked like a bear claw.

Glancing over the man's uniform he couldn't find any discernible rank however.

The only defining feature on his uniform was a patch on his right shoulder which Shiro couldn't get a good enough glance at.

"Mind if we sit here sir?" Shiro asked with a cautious sir at the end in case of him being a superior officer.

It caught the attention of the others seated at the table, who promptly turned and scanned the two over.

The giant man simply grunted and looked back down to his food.

Shiro glanced over to Yuki who was still glancing about the room.

With a shrug he sat his tray down and took a seat.

Yuki followed in tow, sitting beside him on the end of the bench, away from the others.

The others at the table continued to stare at the two, looking them over.

Taking his fork in hand he scooped a clump of corn and began to raise it up.

Just before it touched his lips, "You're new here." A girl who was seated next to him stated.

With a quiet sigh he put his fork down and looked over at her.

She had bright white skin and muddy brown hair down to her neck.

Her eyes were sharper than any one else Shiro saw in the room.

"On this ship yes, we just got back from a deployment." He lied to her face and waited.

She simply laughed as the giant man across from Shiro scoffed.

"_She _is but not you, you're green. You could've fooled me from across the room though. You scanned the crowd and were able to pick out the most potent threats and even put up a convincing facade. You can't fool us though. We've been on more Ops than days you've been alive." The sharp girl shot back after nodding to Yuki.

Shiro glanced at Yuki with a frown before looking back.

"What makes you say she's returning from deployment?"

"Because she's in our unit."

**. . . .**

"The giant of a man before you is Bear. She," the sharp girl nodded to Yuki once more "is Jackal. I'm Raven, and he," she then pointed to the skinny dark skinned man seated before her "is Tiger."

Tiger was a dark skinned man with even darker hair and the steadiest hands he'd seen on a person.

"So you're..." he glanced to Yuki then back to Raven "you're all a unit?"

"We are we've all got special roles within it too."

Carefully looking them all over once more he nodded to himself.

"I'm guessing you're long range support Raven, Tiger is explosives maybe? And Bear has to be heavy ordinance. Yuki...I mean...Jackal is...I can't figure you out." He muttered to himself causing a smirk to creep across Raven's face.

"You're spot on so far. I'm the steadiest sniper you'll ever meet." Raven replied.

"I can make an explosive out of anything on this table." Tiger quietly stated not looking up from his tray.

"I am strongest man." Bear grunted in an accent Shiro had never even heard before.

Yuki silently continued to eat her food.

"What about you...Jackal?" Shiro hesitantly queried.

She looked up to him and suddenly he could see a spark of disdain in her eye.

"I am a warrior."

With that she continued to feed.

Shiro looked back at the others and saw within Raven's eyes jealousy mixed with petty anger.

"Jackal is strongest woman." Bear suddenly chimed in and nodded to her.

"But what is her role within the squad?" Shiro asked and was greeted by silence.

"I give advice child. Every man in room seen very much bad. We are all warrior. All except you. You are small baby. Baby no ask questions until grown da?" Bear explained as he looked him in the eye for the first time since the two sat down.

"Wait...you mean every soldier in here has combat experience...except me?" Bear nodded causing Shiro to look down, clenching his fork in his hand.

"But...why?" The unit looked to Shiro as he stared down at the floor, clenching the fork tighter.

"Is it some kind of damn joke? Did he put me here to embarrass me?!" Shiro hissed to himself.

The Lieutenant-General's face appeared in his mind.

Bear took a breath before sitting forward causing the bench to cry under his weight.

"In mine village, put baby with warrior to help with grow. You maybe put here to grow da?" Shiro's eyes flicked up to lock with Bear's.

Bear's face was solid and resolute. There wasn't a hint of uncertainty.

"I...maybe so." He replied quietly as he sat his fork down, his appetite gone.

**. . . .**

The Daedalus landed much easier than it took off but they would only be landed for a brief moment while they loaded Yuki's LFO.

"Why wouldn't the Captain have us there to see your LFO?" Shiro asked as he looked to Yuki who laid flat on her bed, headphones laying beside her.

"I don't know." She quietly replied, not moving her eyes from the bunk above her.

"Yuki...I'm sorry if I put you on the spot during chow." She sat up on her elbows and stared at him.

"I don't understand." She replied with a straight face.

"Put you on the spot as in embarrassed you." He explained.

Upon seeing her nod he continued.

"I remember...when my father came back from his own deployment he just looked so...tired all the time. Just standing up seemed to exhaust him. So one day I asked him what happened. He looked down with so much anger in his eyes... he said 'Shiro you don't ask people what they've been through because you'll never understand.' I should've remembered that before and I'm sorry." When Shiro looked back over at Yuki she was now standing.

"I fear that you will understand Shiro. The Lieutenant-General sent you along with me so that I'll make you understand." A deep laden frown crossed his face as he turned to face her.

"What do you mean? Why would he want me to understand?" Yuki looked down a moment.

"I'm...sorry I don't know what words to use. He wants me to make you as I am. He wants me to make you a warrior just as I am." Shiro stepped towards her his frown only deepening.

"But I don't understand! Why me?! Why am I supposed to become a warrior?! Why not one of the other members of your unit?!" Yuki suddenly looked down at the floor. Silence filled their room.

"I...chose you." She quietly replied.

"Chose...me? I don't understand." Shiro shook his head as he reached out to her.

Faster than his eyes could even perceive she grabbed his outstretched right arm with her left hand and swiftly moved under it, wrapping her right arm around his torso and flinging him over her shoulder slamming him on his back, still holding his right arm with her left hand she pushed him on his stomach and wrapped her legs around his arm pushing it into a 90 degree angle and slowly pushing it unnaturally up towards his head.

When he finally processed where he was he began yelling out and vainly kicking his legs.

"I chose you because you are the only one who has the spirit for what I am Shiro! And now you will become a warrior or you will break!" She growled and pushed his arm slightly more causing him to yell louder.

She finally released him and stepped off him.

Shiro rolled over on his side whimpering and grabbing at his right arm.

"This is what a warrior is. And it's what you'll become. It's what I chose you for and what the Lieutenant-General wishes. Will you become a warrior Shiro?" She asked reaching down towards him.

He looked up at her, the light from the window shining behind her causing her to appear as a silhouette.

Her smile suddenly flashed before him as he looked down.

"I...want to learn everything you can teach me...Jackal." He replied as he firmly took her hand.

**. . . .**

The moment they were airborne the loud speaker crackled to life.

"_The pickup is complete all crew report to your unit bays for debriefing." _

Shiro followed Jackal down the halls until they came to a final door which opened to revel a room like theirs but filled with a bunk bed and one other very large bed.

Raven, Bear, and Tiger were within with Raven standing before the other two, a whiteboard to her back.

"Welcome Jackal and...Chick." Raven looked to Shiro with a smirk.

"What? Why am I a baby chicken?!" Shiro exclaimed causing Raven to cackle.

"You have to _earn _a title Chick." Tiger scoffed staring at the floor.

"Enough niceties, group up. We're en route to Ciudades del Cielo. One of the largest Vodarac cities and a well known stronghold for their main forces. The main force is going to attack head on here and here." She explained as she pointed at the illustration of the city.

"However, they're just a distraction. We're to infiltrate from the rear of the city and hit them where they're weakest. Bear, Tiger; you both are to open up a way through the wall here. Upon completion of the objective you're to draw enemy forces away. That's when Jackal, and Chick infiltrate through the opening and head straight to the barracks. I'll be running support from a nearby cliff. Once you're there it's search and destroy. Kill anything that moves. All civilians were evacuated a long time ago, any one in the city is hostile shoot to kill. Questions?" Raven finished and glanced around.

Shiro slowly raised his hand.

"Why is everyone charging in just so we can attack one building that we could just bombard from above?"

Tiger chuckled at the question.

"Because we're wiping out the city, no survivors. This will be the decisive blow to the Vodarac forces that leads to ending the war once and for all with this people. After you clear the barracks signal Bear and Tiger then ex-filtrate out the way you came. I'll rendezvous with you at extraction point. Bear, Tiger; you know what to do from there."

Bear and Tiger nodded, a wide grin spread across Tiger's face.

**. . . .**

After the briefing Jackal and Shiro went to the armory and armed themselves.

Shiro got the standard MP5 with an M1911, both of which Jackal had him get suppressors for.

While Jackal simply picked up an M1911 with suppressor and waited for Shiro.

The two quickly dressed in their infiltration gear then threw on their bulky black aerial deployment gear.

Hastily they met up with the rest of the unit in an abandoned hallway as the ship silently coasted through the air.

Raven had strapped to her back the largest rifle Shiro had ever seen with an even larger suppressor on the end of it.

Bear had nothing on him besides a mini-gun strapped to his back.

While Tiger had only a large backpack and a stand 12 gauge shotgun.

"Bear, Tiger; we drop first then upon completion of objective Jackal and Chick drop. Operation Shining Light commence...Now!" Suddenly Raven popped open the hatch causing the air to explode into the hallway knocking Shiro over and causing Jackal to raise her arm over her eyes.

Raven gave a single wave before the trio jumped through the hatch and plummeted toward the planet below.

Jackal sealed the hatch and waited.

Upon getting back onto his feet Shiro looked over.

"How exactly do they plan on surviving that jump?" She glanced at him and nodded to his shoes.

"Special to this unit. Reflective plates on the bottom similar to a ref board. These boots have an electric current that courses through and suppresses any trail that lifting might leave. Also, here." She outstretched her hand.

Shiro reached out and grabbed the four inch sheathed knife she gave him.

"We go in fast and we go in silent. We hunt silently and invisibly. We are ghosts to them understand?" She lectured and looked to him.

He gave a stiff nod as his heart began to race.

He reached down to attach the knife to his belt but Jackal frowned and shook her head.

"Where is your combat harness?" Only now had he realized she had a harness over her torso covered with pouches, a holster for her pistol on her left side, and her own knife that was the exact same as his strapped on the left side of her harness near her pistol.

"I...wasn't issued one." She gave a hesitant nod and grabbed the knife from him, strapping it to his left side, right before his own pistol holster, herself.

"Shir..." she caught herself mid breath, "Chick. You must always be prepared. You won't always have weapons and firearms but you will _always_ have your mind. That is your most effective weapon."

Suddenly her earpiece chimed causing her to put her fingers up to it.

"Roger."

She replied and looked to Shiro.

"Deploy."

The hatch hissed defiantly as she threw it open and gave a final glance back at Shiro.

He nodded in return.

Without hesitation she leapt from the Daedalus and plummeted to the world below.

Shiro took a breath and nodded.

"I _will _see her smile again." He whispered and leaped out.

As he flew through the crisp midnight air he saw nothing but darkness below.

"_Chick, you're too far from Jackal. Left 2 meters." _Ravens voice whispered in his earpiece.

Ever so slightly he inched over and outstretched his arms for balance.

The wind roaring in his ears and biting at his face he continued to plummet.

"_Distance to target 50 meters, engage boots."_

Shiro flicked his radio on then off in affirmative and slowly began to flip forward until his feet were pointed down and speedily flicked them on.

His descent began to slow until his eyes could finally begin to adjust.

"_Maybe next time bring your harness and night goggles Chick." _

Tiger cackled over the radio.

Shiro growled but began to focus down at Jackal who was only 5 Meters beneath him and 1 meter to his left.

"_20 meters. Brace."_

Shiro slammed into the ground feet first and fell flat on his back.

"Get up Chick." Jackal hissed causing him to jump upright and quickly go down to his knees beside her.

"Strip aerial gear and prepare for infiltration." She whispered as she began pulling off her heavy black suit and boots.

Shiro followed in turn and stripped his off, throwing it to the side.

Jackal lit a match and threw on the pile.

The two suits went up instantly and without a flash.

Nothing was left.

Jackal and Shiro sat within the tall grass both wearing tight black suits which were designed to eliminate friction between sections and extra padding on the soles of the shoes rendered their steps practically silent.

Shiro tightened the sling of his MP5 which hung around his torso and sat at his right side.

The two sat and waited for their signal.

As Shiro stared at the rear wall of the city he only now realized just how massive it was.

The only thing taller than the walls was the absolutely massive tower which sprung within the center of the city.

"_Zero hour, team 1 engage." _Raven announced over the comms causing Shiro to jump lightly.

Jackal began reaching for her pistol so slowly it was hard to tell if she was moving especially in the darkness.

Pulling her pistol free, as she continually scanned the horizon, she slowly pulled back on the slide.

It was oiled to the point of silence as she pulled it all the way back and released it, loading a shot into the barrel.

"Locked." She whispered to Shiro who mirrored her.

"Locked." He repeated and continued to sit beside her.

Suddenly an explosion rocked the very ground the stood on, sending debris miles into the air.

Shiro glanced to Jackal who raised her fist and held it, staring forward.

Flashlights popped to life as men began shouting and shooting within the hole of the wall.

All of a sudden a mini-gun sprang to life, spitting shots at the men.

The lights began to fade as they chased after the intruders.

Jackal outstretched all her fingers on her raised hand and waved it forward.

The two sprang forward, keeping low within their crouches, and made a bee line towards the gap in the wall.

"_Team 2 proceed."_

Jackal flicked her radio and cut to the side motioning for Shiro to cut to the other side of the gap.

The two threw their backs against the wall, Shiro panting silently, his abs already aching.

Jackal slowly glanced in through the gap and waved her hand forward again.

Shiro nodded and mirrored her entry into the gap.

In sync the two began their journey through the rubble filled alley toward the seemingly abandoned building before them.

It stood at least twelve stories and sat completely dark.

The only noise was the distant popping of guns on the other side of the city accompanied by war screams in the night.

The two reached the front doorway and sat on opposite sides just as the breach in the gap.

Jackal peaked and waved forward.

Slowly the two began to open the front doors and step foot within.

The air was hot, heavy, and filled with dust.

The hard tile floor was littered with chunks off the ceiling which were displaced by the previous shelling of the city.

The inside was pitch black but Shiro's eyes had already begun to adjust to the lack of light.

The two began to explore the first floor and quickly Shiro began to realize it was no barracks, it was an old apartment lobby.

"_Stairwell on your 6, 5 meters." _Jackal whispered over the comms.

Shiro flicked his radio and slowly advanced toward the stairwell.

The two met up and began to slowly advance up to the second floor.

The whole building was silent.

Not even rats.

The two froze in the doorway as Jackal stared down the empty doorway.

"Check this floor I'll check 3." Jackal whispered beside him, keeping her weapon aimed down the dark hall.

Shiro tapped her shoulder in acknowledgment and waited for her to head off.

"_Jackal advancing to 3rd floor. Chick, searching floor 2." _Jackal reported.

Slowly Shiro began creeping down the hallway remaining crouched.

His heart seemed to race faster with each step.

His hands were shaking.

He wouldn't stop sweating.

Shiro came up to the first door on his left and stood to the left of it, placing his ear up to the crack of it.

Nothing, only wind.

He reached up and as steadily as he could he twisted the knob and slowly began to open it.

Within the room there was a single silhouette standing hunched over a table straight ahead of Shiro with his back to him.

Shiro's shaking only got worse as his heart pounded so loud he feared the person could hear it.

Left foot.

Right foot.

Left foot.

Right.

He stood a foot away from the figure, still hidden.

Slowly and quietly he lifted himself up, his pistol raised at the back of the figure's head.

He planted it against the back of the figure's head and firmly hissed, "Freeze!"

The figure did in fact freeze in place.

"You...how did you get in here?" The man's voice was deep and rough.

It was the voice of a seasoned warrior.

"How many others are here?" Shiro forcefully hissed as he pressed the pistol harder on the man's head.

"They send a child to do their dirty work?" The man scoffed as he began to straighten upright.

"F...Freeze!" Shiro tried to stiffen his voice but he stuttered weakly.

"I can feel you shaking boy. You're nothing but a child!" The man began to laugh as Shiro's shaking intensified.

"Quiet or I'll shoot!" He hollered at the man which only earned a laugh from him.

"Shoot? You've never even aimed at a human before, much less killed one. You haven't even noticed the gun in my hand."

Before Shiro could react the man ducked down and pushed Shiro's pistol up and away from the man's head.

The man then pressed his pistol against the right side of Shiro's gut and pulled the trigger.

The world began to ring loudly as Shiro felt himself scream but heard nothing.

He slowly began falling back as he dropped his pistol and reached toward his stomach.

It burned so badly, it felt as though something bit into him.

He landed on the ground and shakily laid both his hands on his gut hoping to somehow aid the stinging.

The man stood over him and raised the pistol at Shiro's forehead.

Before Shiro could blink the man was on the floor with a blurry black figure on his back with a knife against his throat.

The black figure was saying something but Shiro only heard the constant ringing.

The knife dug into his neck and swiftly was pulled out.

The figure came over and quickly pulled him up, dragging him over to the wall.

Once he was set against the wall he finally saw the figure was Yuki.

She placed both hands on his face looked deeply into his eyes, saying something.

She looked down, moving his hands then reached into one of her pouches.

She pulled out a pack and ripped it open.

Placing one hand on his shoulder she gave a single nod to him then shoved it into his gut.

The fire in his gut only worsened, all he could do was clench his teeth and groan as quietly as he could.

After rapidly blinking his vision began to clear.

"Shiro can you hear me?" She whispered putting her hands on his head once more.

He slowly nodded as he breathed deeply attempting to control his breath.

"You were shot in the abdomen however the bonding agent I inserted will seal off any bleeding until we finish the mission, can you stand?" He took a deep breath and shook his head, the pain was far too much.

She nodded and pulled a syringe out of her pocket.

She stabbed it in his thigh and shot the mysterious liquid into him.

"There take a moment, you'll be up."

Shiro nodded and continued breathing.

Suddenly the pain was gone and he felt full of energy, more than ever before.

He slowly braced himself and jumped up.

"Right I'm going to proceed to 4th floor." She replied and began to walk away.

"Yu...Jackal...thank you." Shiro called after her.

She stopped a moment before glancing back.

"Be careful Chick. Please." Then she was off once more.

He took another breath before walking into the hallway.

She had even cleared out the rest of his floor.

He flipped on his radio, "Chick proceeding to 5th floor."

**. . . .**

Jackal was on the 10th floor leaving Shiro to chick the 11th and final floor.

Immediately after opening the door he pulled out his pistol and readied it.

There was only one door on this level and it was straight ahead of him five meters away.

He silently crept down the hall until he was right before it.

Pressing his ear against the door he heard voices whispering on the other side.

He frowned as he slowly got down on all fours and peeked through the bottom crack of the old wooden door.

He saw a single candle flickering within and two men standing behind an overturned bed with rifles in their hands.

"I don't hear anything anymore it's been like ten minutes! Besides it was the Lieutenant! Whoever was in here they're dead by now so just relax." The leftmost man exclaimed dropping his weapon down and lightly holding it in his right hand.

The one on the right sighed and nodded.

"Yeah you're right."

Shiro stood up slowly and holstered his pistol.

He pulled up his MP5 and shouldered it, slowly breathing in and out.

"He's right, we can all rel..." Shiro cut off the man as he kicked open the door and immediately leveled his rifle.

The two looked over in shock, their rifles hanging loosely in their hands.

Shiro's mind flashed to the man who shot him.

Then to the briefing.

"_Anyone in the city is hostile shoot to kill." _

He snapped his rifle over to the left man and pulled the trigger.

Clean hit to the right eye.

Over to the right.

Pulled the trigger.

Jugular.

The man fell down gasping in vain as he attempted to grab at it and slow the bleeding.

Shiro stood with his rifle leveled.

He watched.

The man gasped and gasped.

His eyes held so much fear.

So much sorrow.

So much pain.

And Shiro watched.

Eventually it all went silent.

The gasping stopped.

Then a whimper.

Shiro snapped his rifle to the source.

It was behind the bed.

Slowly he crept over keeping the rifle level.

His heart pounding.

He got to the bed and looked over.

Everything froze around him.

Fifteen children sat huddled around the candlelight.

All of them began whimpering and clawing their way to the back, away from Shiro.

It was in vain, behind them was only a wall.

Shiro shakily reached up to his ear.

"Raven, I've got civilians." He shakily whispered lowering his weapon.

"_That's a negative Chick, no civilians in hot zone."_ Raven replied.

"Repeat Raven I have _civilians_! I have children!" He hollered.

"_Chick" _It was Jackal's quiet voice _"There are no civilians in the hot zone."_

His arm fell limp at his side as he stared down at the children cowering before him.

"_Chick, this is Raven. Exterminate hostiles."_

Shiro looked down at the floor then at his two hands as he slowly raised his rifle.

He leveled it and his mind went to Yuki's smile.

All he saw was her smile.

No children.

No guns.

No war.

And as he squeezed the trigger unleashing the lethal spray all he saw was her smile.

As their silent screams fell on deaf ears there was only that smile.

The blood spraying over him fell on numb skin.

And their riddled lifeless bodies fell upon blind eyes.

As he turned and slung his rifle on his shoulder he turned and began walking out of the room.

He reached his hand up to his radio.

"Chick reporting mission complete. Hostiles eliminated and barracks are clear."

He grasped his radio and threw it to the ground and began stomping on it.

His endless stream of tears mixed with bubbling snot fell from his face as he continued screaming and stomping down on that radio.

His foot gave out causing him to fall down.

He began pounding his fists on the radio as his scream continued echoing throughout the empty building.

The blood soaked fists continued pounding down until Jackal came over and reached her hand down to him.

He looked up at her, nothing but darkness surrounding them.

"Warriors have nothing left in their heart but the will to fight. Will you become a warrior Shiro?" He shakily reached up and grasped her hand with his own blood soaked hand.

"You've had your first experience with war and it will never leave you, no matter how hard you try. You will become a warrior just as I am Shiro." She had no joy in her voice, no smile on her face.

There was nothing there for him to read.

**. . . .**

The unit all sat within the mess hall.

Shiro sat there staring down at his full tray.

Staring at a point beyond it not even he could see.

"Well Chick I found a title for you." Raven suddenly shook him out of it.

He looked over to her.

"I thought to myself what could I name you that your master would approve of. Then it hit me! You're a Hound!" He looked back down then to Jackal who simply ate her food staring down at her tray.

He was once again brought from his stupor by Raven.

Welcome to Joy Division!

Hound!


End file.
